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Friday, February 8, 2013

The Devils coach had said Wednesday that Ilya Kovalchuk was doing a lot of the “little things” to help the team win that went beyond the score sheet and if he kept doing them eventually the goals and the points would come.

Kovalchuk proved DeBoer correct tonight with a goal and an assist in the Devils’ 4-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning at Prudential Center.

Kovalchuk had gone six games without a goal since his overtime winner against Washington on Jan. 25 and hadn’t registered a point in five consecutive games before he scored on a shorthanded 2-on-1 with Travis Zajac with 2:26 left in the second period to give the Devils a 2-1 lead.

“I wasn’t worried about Kovy,” DeBoer said. “You know it’s just a matter of time with him. He could have had four tonight if he hadn’t been unselfish at the end and tried to set everybody up. But that’s him. I know the guys in the room appreciate what he’s about. He does a lot of things to help us win games other than to score goals and tonight he scored a big one.”

Still, Kovalchuk had only two goals and three assists on the season before tonight and, though he insisted otherwise, his confidence seemed to be waning.

“Obviously, (one goal in last seven games) is not what I want, but I’ll take that and hopefully I’ll be better,” Kovalchuk said.

The goal came from an area of the game in which Kovalchuk has become a big contributor over the last two seasons – penalty killing. He had passed on two shorthanded odd-man rushes earlier in the period, but on his goal he ripped a shot from the left circle over goaltender Anders Lindback’s glove.

“It was just a 2-on-1. I waited (to see) how the D (Sami Salo) is going to react and he gave me a little more room and I shot it,” Kovalchuk said. “It was a good play by both of us – me and Travis – because if he wouldn’t skate, I wouldn’t have that much room.”

It was the second shorthanded goal of the season for Kovalchuk, who also scored one on a penalty shot in the home opener against Philadelphia on Jan. 22.

"So, not only is he doing a good job defensively,” DeBoer said. “He’s using that to create some offense for us.”

Kovalchuk clearly enjoys the responsibility of killing penalties and believes it helps him to play better defensively at even strength.

“It’s always good,” he said. “It helps you to be better defensively and sometimes you get those chances.”

The line of Patrik Elias, Adam Henrique and David Clarkson had another good night. Elias had a goal and two assists for his second consecutive three-point game, Henrique scored goal and Clarkson had an assist.

“Patrik and Clarkie, their line was playing really well for us and it’s great when somebody else steps up and it’s easier when the team is winning,” Kovalchuk said. “So, it doesn’t really matter who scores.”

Clarkson, who has points in nine of the Devils’ 10 games this season, said he believes Kovalchuk when he says he doesn’t care who scores if the team is winning.

“I don’t think he’s lying,” Clarkson said. “He’s been doing a lot of good thing and he’s a huge leader in this locker room, so you know with him that scoring is going to continue to go in and he’ll find it. I think he’s played great in his zone and the other team’s zone and he’s done a lot of good things. It was a big goal for us tonight that one.”

***Clarkson needed three stitches to close a cut above his left eye that he said was caused by an accidental high stick from Steven Stamkos “after the play” in the first period.

“Stamkos stick kind of came up and caught me above the eye, a fluke play,” Clarkson said.

***Rookie left wing Stefan Matteau played 15 shifts for 10:07 in ice time tonight in his first game back after sitting out four in a row as a healthy scratch. He played more than that only once – 10:37 in the home opener against Philadelphia.

“I thought he did a good job,” DeBoer said of Matteau. “It’s tough to sit there for that long and come in, but he gave us some energy. I thought he was solid along the boards. He’s going to improve daily.”

***The Devils will practice Friday morning at Prudential Center and then head to their homes to wait out the snowstorm. The Penguins will fly to New Jersey early Friday and practice here so they can beat the worst of the storm and be here for Saturday's 1 p.m. game.

I'll have more later on the Devils looking to avenge their 5-1 loss in Pittsburgh last Saturday, Elias' continued scoring, Adam Henrique, the special teams and Andy Greene.

About

TOM GULITTI has covered the New Jersey Devils for The Record since 2002. Prior to that, he covered the New York Rangers for four years. Gulitti joined The Record in 1998 after six years at The North Jersey Herald News. He graduated from Binghamton University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric-Literature.